Taking Care Of Maura
by Yuri-hime
Summary: Maura gets terribly sick and Jane helps nurse her back to health...and in the process both discover how precious they are to each other.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer** - I don't own Rizzoli and Isles.

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**~Taking Care Of Maura~**

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"Hey Korsak, where's Frost?" Jane Rizzoli asked curiously, as she breezed into the bullpen and immediately made a beeline for the coffee machine set up in the corner.

Korsak quickly minimized the screen of his computer; immediately hiding the video of the two adorable, golden retriever puppies rolling around together he'd been softly cooing at, before Jane walked in.

"Oh Frost, he's downstairs in the morgue," Korsak replied as he opened a drawer at his desk, and pulled out a pack of Twinkies.

"You _know_ that if my Ma ever saw you eating those things, she'd pull you by the ear over to the nearest garbage bin to throw it away," Jane said with an amused grin, as she lightly stirred creamer into her coffee.

"Yeah well...what Angela don't know won't hurt _me_, right?" Korsak replied with an unrepentant grin.

Jane just chuckled lightly in reply, as she took a long sip of her daily fuel.

"Oh, and is the reason Frost is down by the morgue because he's 'visiting' Maura?" Jane asked with a teasing wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Actually the Doc ain't here. It's Dr. Pike who's downstairs right now, and he practically dragged poor Frost down there with him, spouting crap about how completely 'unacceptable' it was for a 'Detective' to get so queasy at a crime scene," Korsak replied as he polished off the two Twinkies in the pack in record time, and tossed the now empty packaging into the small bin by his desk.

Jane froze with the cup of half-finished coffee midway to her lips, and looked _hard_ at Korsak.

"Korsak..._please_ tell me _why_ is 'Pike' here today and _not_ Maura?" the low, almost-dangerous tone of Jane's voice caused Korsak to look up startled, before he quickly remembered everything that had gone down the last time Pike had come in to cover for Maura.

"Oh geez Janie, I didn't mean it like _that_. It's absolutely _nothing_ like what happened last time," Korsak quickly said. He still remembered _vividly_ the last time Maura didn't show up, and Pike had to come in to 'replace' her. And he _very_ much remembered how worried Jane was to leave the good Chief ME's side, for the two weeks following that whole unwelcome situation with Paddy Doyle.

"Then _please_ tell me where Maura is Korsak," Jane bit out between tightly-clenched teeth.

"She's sick!" Korsak replied quietly.

Jane stared blankly at Korsak for a few seconds, before she lightly shook her head in mild confusion.

"Sick? Wait, but Maura _can't_ be sick. If she even had the _sniffles_, she would have called or texted me to let me know that she'd be out today. And I never got a single...oh...oh shit!" Jane cursed softly, as she pulled out her cellphone which she now saw was inexplicably on _silent_, and saw that she had two missed calls and one unread text from Maura.

"Dammit Korsak, I missed Maura's calls!" Jane exclaimed, as she quickly hit speed dial for Maura's number.

"Hey, don't blame me. I'm just the messenger here," Korsak replied as he reached into another drawer in his desk, and pulled out a pack of Ding Dongs.

"I'm going to tell my mother on you," Jane threatened as she raised a warning finger at the older Detective, while waiting for Maura to answer her phone.

Korsak quickly stuck out his tongue at the younger Detective, causing a small grin to creep across Jane's face just as a groggy, scratchy-sounding voice answered her call.

"Jane...?" Maura Isles croaked out into her phone, as she rolled over in her bed and pulled her plush, Egyptian-thread covers over her head.

"Hey Maur," Jane's voice took on the gentle, caring tone it always unconsciously did whenever she was speaking with her best friend.

Korsak just chuckled lightly under his breath, causing Jane to stick her tongue out quickly at _him_, before she moved into the back of the room where it was blessedly empty and more private.

"Jane..." Maura groaned softly again, before a wracking cough forced it's way out of her throat, and she had to pull the phone away from her mouth to get it out.

Now Jane was _really_ worried. In all the time she'd known Maura, she'd never once heard the ME sound so sick before. A slight cold here, a brief case of the sniffles there, all usually around the winter season. But Maura was borderline OCD and germophobic. She did pretty much _everything_ within her considerable mental powers to keep harmful, illness-carrying germs as far away from herself as was humanly possible. So, Jane was stumped to understand just how Maura had managed to pick up such a nasty-sounding cold/flu in the 36 hours since she'd last seen her.

Then like a lightning bolt the reason struck Jane.

"You picked up something nasty from that medical summit you went to in New York City over the weekend, didn't you?" Jane asked the sick ME, whom she could now once again hear breathing shallowly through the phone.

Maura nodded her head slightly, and in her semi-drowsy state realized that Jane wouldn't be able to see her nod, so she cleared her throat a couple of times and tried to reply around the painful soreness in her throat.

"Yes and no. I do not believe that I contracted this flu while I was at the summit itself. Rather it was on the ride back to the airport when I decided to take a public taxi, instead of my usual limo service. I'm still not sure just _why_ I decided to forgo my usual mode of transportation, but I guess...I just wanted to be...'spontaneous'. Unfortunately, the taxi driver had a terrible hacking cough, and even though the window between the driver seat and the backseat was up, whatever germs he'd already released into the air through his coughing throughout the day, was obviously still lingering in the vehicle. And so...now I'm sick." Maura said this last part so piteously, that Jane felt her heart simultaneously melt and break at the same time. She wished with _everything_ she had, that she could just leave work and take care of her sick best friend.

"Maur...hon...don't worry, I'm going to come over _right after_ work and take care of you. There isn't a cold or a flu that Ma's famous chicken soup hasn't been able to lick," Jane said in a lightly playful tone, in an effort to lift Maura's spirits a bit.

A small smile crossed Maura's lips, and she whispered a soft "thank you" into the phone, before she said goodbye to her favourite Detective...and really her favourite _person_...and ended her call with Jane. She then flopped back onto her pillows, closed her eyes and allowed her tired, sick body to drift back into a fitful sleep.

Jane ended the call with her best friend with a deep, worried sigh. She then immediately called her mother, and waited impatiently for her to answer the phone. When she did, Jane quickly asked her mother if she could make her signature chicken soup for Maura, since she'd be leaving work much earlier than Jane would be today.

Angela immediately agreed, and even promised to stop in and check in on her 'second daughter', as Angela truly did consider Maura 'her business', and hearing that the ME was so sick Angela's motherly heart instantly went out to her.

Jane thanked her mother, and ended the call with another deep sigh.

She now couldn't wait for the work day to end, so that she could quickly go over and take care of the woman who held her heart in her small, capable hands.

_To be continued..._

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**AN** - Hope you all enjoyed. Please review~ =3_  
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	2. Chapter 2

Jane quietly stepped into Maura's home after using the key Maura had given her ages ago to let herself in. She paused in the entryway and tried to hear any movement in the house. She heard absolutely nothing, not even faint coughing from her sick best friend, which caused Jane to bite her lip in worry. She quickly made her way into the kitchen, and placed the bowl of her Ma's special chicken soup on the counter. She then quickly made her way towards Maura's room, only pausing briefly when she reached the thick mahogany door. She quietly turned doorknob, and gently pushed the door open.

The sight that greeted Jane made her heart clench in sympathetic pain, as she caught sight of Maura wrapped up tightly in her expensive, Egyptian sheets sweating and shifting about restlessly in her fevered sleep.

Jane quickly made her way over to the side of the bed, and lightly sat down on its edge edge. She then reached forward and tenderly brushed aside a damp lock of honey-blond hair, before leaning forward and pressing a soft, soothing kiss on her best friend's forehead.

Maura shifted again in her sleep, though this time it seemed almost like her body just _knew_ Jane was near, as she curled her body right up against Jane's side.

A soft, tender smile crossed Jane's lips and though she was loath to do it, she knew she had to wake Maura up. Her sick friend needed to get out of her sweaty clothes, then get wiped down and dressed in some fresh, clean pajamas. Then Jane would be able to feed Maura her Ma's signature soup, which would go a long way to hopefully making Maura feel better.

"Hey Maur...come on sweetheart, I'm sorry to wake you but you need to get up so we can clean you up, get some clean clothes on you, and get some warm food into your stomach," Jane softly cooed into Maura's ear. Absolutely _no one_ on this earth besides Maura would _ever_ get to hear Jane actually being gentle and sweet with someone, and that made Maura even more special to her than most.

Maura groaned softly as she felt a light touch on her shoulder gently shaking her, and a soft voice that she immediately recognized telling her to wake up. Bloodshot hazel eyes slowly opened, and Jane felt her heart clench when she saw how miserable her best friend looked. Without another thought Jane reached down, and gathered her sick friend into her strong, slender arms.

"Oh Maur, I am _so_ sorry I didn't get your calls or message this morning. I still don't quite know how my phone ended up on silent, and I spent most of the day watching the clock, just waiting for the work day to end so I could come over," Jane softly confessed, as she rubbed her nose gently against the side of Maura's heated neck.

Maura let out a soft, mewling sound as she pressed her weary, sick body further into Jane's embrace and felt instant comfort and relief at the brunette's cool touch.

"S'okay, you're here now," Maura replied groggily and would have sunk back into sleep, if not for Jane gently shaking her awake again. A small pout appeared on her lips at being woken up again, even if it was Jane doing the waking. Jane had to bite her lip to keep from cooing at the adorable pout that formed on Maura's lips. Instead she helped her best friend to sit up against the bed's headboard, and explained to Maura that she was going to remove her sweaty clothes, wipe her down with a warm damp cloth, then dress and feed her some chicken soup.

Maura just nodded drowsily to everything that Jane said, and she was barely conscious as the dark-haired woman began gently removing her sweat-dampened clothes. In a small, still faintly-coherent part of Maura's mind, she knew she was going to regret being so out of it that she wouldn't get to appreciate Jane 'undressing' her, and even better wiping her down with warm water. But what could she do? She was barely staying awake as it was, though that same small part of her mind _was_ able to appreciate the feeling of Jane's hands on her over-heated skin, when the brunette began wiping her down with a damp washcloth. Maura wasn't even aware of just when Jane had managed to strip her bare of her sweat-soaked pajamas, leaving her only in her red silky bra and panty. All she _did_ know was that Jane's hands on her body felt so good...

Jane for her part was having a bit of a difficult time only focusing on her friend's body, as one would look at a sick patient.

_She's ill, Jane. She's not feeling well. You will __**not**__ look at your best friend's body like it's the most beautiful...gorgeous...thing you've ever seen in your life..._Jane's pep talk to herself wasn't going at all as she believed it should. Finally with a sigh, Jane just accepted that she found her best friend's body amazing, sick or not, and continued caring for her.

Eventually Jane had Maura all wiped down and dressed in a new pair of soft, silk pajamas. She helped tuck Maura back into bed, after replacing the sweat-soaked sheets with fresh, clean ones. Then in a soft voice she told Maura to give her a few minutes while she went back to the kitchen, and warmed up the chicken soup.

Maura nodded faintly with a small smile on her lips, before she snuggled down into her clean, soft sheets and drifted off into a light, restful sleep as she waited for Jane to return with the soup. No one she knew would _ever_ believe that the Jane Rizzoli who was so thoughtfully, and lovingly taking care of her even existed. And Maura was just fine with that. She didn't want to share this Jane. That Jane chose to let down her walls and remove the armour she usually kept up in public with Maura, made the ME feel..._special_. And she wouldn't trade that feeling for _anything_ in the world.

"Here it is. Ma's special-guaranteed-to-make-you-feel-better chicken soup," Jane singsonged with a playful grin on her face, as she re-entered Maura's room with a small bowl full of piping-hot soup.

Maura hummed softly in appreciation as the delectable scent of the soup hit her nose, and her eyelids slowly fluttered open, showing the warmth and love she felt for Jane in this moment clearly in her hazel eyes.

Jane felt a sudden wave of warmth hit her, when her chocolate-brown eyes took in the appreciation and love in Maura's, and she had to lick suddenly dry lips, as she settled down carefully on the edge of the bed.

"Open wide for me now, Maur," Jane said in a teasing voice, as she held up a spoon with a healthy amount of soup in it.

Maura leaned closer to her friend, opened her mouth, and drank the soup from the spoon; enjoying the explosion of flavours on her tongue as she swallowed the delicious meal.

"Your mother truly is a wonderful cook, Jane," Maura complimented, after she'd finished roughly half the bowl of soup.

Jane hummed in pleasant agreement, as she held up another spoonful of soup.

"Hmm, I believe that that's all I can handle for now Jane. I promise I'll finish the rest later. Right now...I just feel...so sleepy..." Maura murmured as the combination of warm soup, clean sheets, and wonderful company began lulling her to sleep.

Jane looked down at her sleepy friend with a soft, affectionate smile and and gently placed the almost-empty bowl of soup on Maura's bedside table.

"Alright champ, time for bed. I'll just get changed and set myself up in the guestroom," Jane said as she began to rise, only to have her upward progress halted by a small hand on her arm.

"I know it's not terribly hygienic to be around me right now, but...could you stay with me...just for a little while until I fall asleep. It shouldn't take very long. I'm pretty much fully asleep already," Maura rambled softly, as she gently squeezed Jane's arm.

A bright grin crossed Jane's lips, and she just couldn't fight the instinct to lean forward and place a chaste kiss against Maura's much cooler forehead.

"You're so adorably dorky," Jane said in reply as she slowly rose to her feet. She then made her way over to the dresser where she kept a small supply of her clothes, as she was over at the ME's house so often she practically lived there. Or at least that's what Frankie loved teasing her by saying.

Jane allowed a small smirk to cross her lips, as she pulled out a pair of shorts and a tank top, and quietly acknowledged to herself that her brother was pretty much right about that. She quickly changed into her night clothes, knowing that Maura's eyes were on her the entire time, and she felt a strange yet delicious warmth at the thought of the ME watching her change. They'd both changed before each other more times than Jane could count, but as of late there seemed to be an added..._intensity_...whenever they undressed before one another. If was a strange feeling, but one Jane had grown to like.

"Hey Maur, have you already taken your meds?" Jane asked, as she made her way back over to the bed.

Maura started a bit as her mind had drifted to a very pleasant place after Jane had kissed her forehead, and then had begun to change before her.

"Oh, oh yes. I did take them not too long ago. Your mother came over to check in on me, and she helped me take them. The dosage lasts pretty much throughout the night, so I should be fine until morning," Maura replied with a soft yawn.

Jane smiled at her adorably sleepy friend, then climbed onto the bed and sunk down into the clean, fresh sheets.

"Ooh Maura, you _really_ do have the best sheets on the planet," Jane moaned softly, causing a slight flush to darken Maura's cheeks. Jane saw the added colour to her friend's complexion, so she moved closer to be able to look directly into Maura's slightly-glazed eyes.

"You okay, Maur? You seem a bit flushed. Do you need some cold water before we go to bed?" Jane asked in a concerned voice.

Maura could barely shake her head 'no', as she tried with all her considerable will to _not_ lean those few inches forward and...and _what_...oh god, she wanted to _kiss_ Jane.

Maura's eyes slammed shut and her breathing quickened, as her heart began racing with the thought of what it would actually be like to kiss Jane.

_It would be heaven_...that same small, barely-coherent part of her brain supplied for her.

"Maur?" Jane's tone had gone from mildly-concerned to full-on worried.

"I'm sorry, Jane. I'm fine. I didn't mean to worry you," Maura answered as she re-opened her eyes, and looked up into coffee-brown eyes that shone brightly with worry and deep care.

Maura felt her breath quicken again as she continued to look up into Jane's eyes, and watched the swirl of emotions play within those chocolate depths. Jane then seemed to reach a mental decision, because she leaned forward those few precious extra inches...and placed the softest, tenderest kiss to the side of Maura's lips.

"Get some sleep, Maur. I'll be here with you the whole night," Jane said softly, as she leaned back and gave Maura a slightly-crooked grin.

Maura could only stare back at Jane in flummoxed silence, before she nodded her head jerkily and pressed her body almost greedily against her best friend's.

Jane pulled the ME flush against her body, and wrapped Maura up tightly in her arms.

_She wasn't going to think about what she'd just done._

_She __**wasn't**__ going to regret it._

_She'd wanted to do something like that with Maura for a __**very**__ long time...and Maura wasn't running away screaming from her._

In fact...Maura seemed to almost be trying to meld her body completely against her own.

Jane allowed a small smile to creep across her lips, as she heard the telltale sounds of Maura finally slipping into sleep, and she leaned forward to place another gentle kiss against her best friend's honeyed curls.

_I love you Maura Isles...and soon...__**very**__ soon...I'll be able to tell you._

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_To be continued..._

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**AN** - Thank you for your views and comments on my first chapter. Please review this chapter as your words and comments help inspire me~ =3


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for all your reviews and kind words. I'm really glad you are all enjoying this little story~ =3

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_She kissed me_...Maura thought drowsily to herself, as she lay in the dark of her room on her bed, wrapped up snugly in Jane's arms.

It was still fairly dark outside even though daybreak was only a couple of hours away. Maura's internal alarm clock usually woke her up this early, sick or not, so she could get in an early morning run. Jane would sometimes join her on the run, though many times she didn't. The occasions she did however, were always amusing for Maura as Jane would moan and groan the entire run, even though she was always happy with how invigorated she felt by the end of it.

Maura's sleepy thoughts circled back around to the fact that Jane had _kissed_ her, once her mental train tracks realigned themselves, after temporarily derailing with the mental image of a hot and sweaty Jane after a run.

_True, she only kissed me on the side of my lips, but still...she **kissed** me_...Maura's sleepy thoughts slowly trailed off, and she fell back into a healing sleep with a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. The next time she woke up she was alone in her bed. A deep frown creased her face, and she pouted slightly as she moved an arm into the still faintly-warm spot Jane usually occupied.

_What if she regretted what she did last night...regretted...kissing me? Maybe she left because she felt embarrassed that she'd done it. Oh no, what am I going to do if Jane now feels uncomfortable in our relationship?_ Maura worried herself into a small fit as she tried to sit up, only to fall back against her pillows, still feeling a bit out-of-sorts and woozy from her illness.

"Hey slugger, don't overwork yourself. Here, I made you some breakfast. Oatmeal with bits of fruit, and some orange juice," Jane singsonged as she entered Maura's bedroom holding a breakfast tray. She paused in the doorway however, when she looked into Maura's bright, hazel eyes and saw them glistening with tears.

"You didn't leave...you didn't leave me..." Maura whimpered softly, and had only a few seconds before Jane swooped down and enveloped her in her arms, after hastily placing the tray on the bedside table.

"Shh, of course I didn't leave you Maura. Why would I?" Jane cooed softly, as she gently pressed her face against Maura's cooler-but-still-warm forehead, and lightly rocked her best friend in her arms.

Maura sniffed softly and buried her face against Jane's neck, as her slightly-shaking arms came up around Jane's waist to hold on tightly.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean to get so emotional. It may be the after-effects of the cold/flu medication in my system. And I'm due for my next dosage soon," Maura murmured softly against Jane's neck.

Jane resisted..._barely_...the urge to shiver, as warm puffs of air from Maura's lips passed across her skin.

"Ahh yeah, I actually brought your medication as well, along with your breakfast," Jane managed to get out, while biting back the low moan that wanted to pass through her lips. "Come on let's get some food into you. Then we'll get you cleaned up and changed, so you can take your meds and get some more rest."

Maura pulled back slightly from Jane's embrace, to look up into her friend's warm, dark eyes.

"But Jane...don't you have to go into work today? You don't have time to stay here and keep looking after me," Maura said with that slight head tilt that Jane always found completely adorable. The sudden strong urge to dip down and press another sweet kiss against Maura's skin...this time right on the tip of her adorable nose...gripped Jane. She had to wrestle down the feeling with all the mental will she possessed, but she finally managed to get it under control.

_She hasn't said **anything** yet about me kissing her last night. Even if it was just against the side of her lips...it was still **way** friendlier than any kiss two regular friends would __ever share together. Maybe...she's actually okay with it_...Jane quietly wondered to herself, as she helped Maura sit up in bed to eat her breakfast.

"I called out for the day. There's no pressing cases right now, and Frost and Korsak can hold down the fort without me for a day," Jane answered with a slight shrug.

Maura's eyes glistened slightly, as she looked over at her best friend. "You really called out...just to stay with me today?" Maura asked with a hand pressed against her rapidly-beating heart.

Jane shrugged slightly again as she picked up the small bowl of oatmeal, scooped up some with a spoon, and lightly blew on it to cool it down.

"Well, of course I did. You'd do the same for me if I was sick in bed, right?" Jane asked with a slightly-crooked grin, which grew when Maura nodded her head _yes_ in agreement.

"Alright then, let's get some food into ya then we'll get you all cleaned up, and go downstairs to feed Bass. Then we'll go veg out on the couch, and watch some nature documentaries," Jane said as she held the now-cool oatmeal up to Maura's lips, and watched in satisfaction as her friend ate and swallowed the food.

"I love you, Jane!" The words just slipped out of Maura's mouth, as she marveled at the fact that Jane was just _so_ good to her.

Both Jane and Maura's eyes widened at Maura's sudden, unexpected declaration. It wasn't like they hadn't said _I love you_ to each other before, because they had...many times. It was just that after last night's kiss...that I _love you_ now seemed to have a slightly different connotation.

Maura felt her face heat, and she quickly swallowed down another spoonful of oatmeal, to keep her mouth from spouting off something else _completely_ random. She hadn't meant to just blurt those words out like that. She didn't want to scare Jane away.

But Jane surprised her again like she'd been doing since the night before.

"I love you too, Maura," Jane said softly, as she reached forward to gently brush a small tendril of loose hair from her friend's brow.

Maura's breath caught at the light touch, and she couldn't resist lightly nuzzling her still-heated face against Jane's cool hand.

A soft grin played across Jane's lips, as she watched the contented expression cross her best friend's face. She enjoyed taking care of Maura. She _liked_ being the only person she knew Maura would call _every_ time she needed her.

She _loved_ Maura.

She really and truly did.

In every sense of the word.

And she resolved that before the end of the day, Maura would know unequivocally just how much she was loved.

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**AN** - Please review~ Your words help keep my inspiration for this story flowing ^.^


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